Social media mean less and less

16.09.2018/11.13

Above: I must report and block dozens of Instagram accounts a day, not unlike getting over the 200-a-day mark on Facebook in 2014. For the last few days, I made my Twitter private. It was the only time in 11 years of being on the service where I felt I needed that level of […]

More lies: Instagram’s separate (and now possibly secret) set of ad preferences

02.09.2018/10.55

This post was originally going to be about Facebook lying. It still is, just not in the way originally conceived. Those who follow this blog know that, on Instagram, I get alcohol advertising. Alcohol is one of the categories you can restrict on Facebook. Instagram claims that it relies on your Facebook ad preferences […]

As the most experienced long-video Instagrammer, welcome to the club

21.06.2018/10.00

It appears my friend Justin was spot on: I probably was part of a test group trialling longer Instagram videos since April. Today, Instagram announced that people could upload 10-minute videos, and an hour for those with big followings. This news article (hat tip to Cachalot Sang on Twitter) says there’ll be a […]

It’s not a rumour: longer Instagram videos are already here

08.06.2018/11.24

Going back from the Hutt into #Wellington. Nothing too remarkable, with maybe the exception of the EA26 #Ford Fairmont wagon (driven by a safe driver). And it’s sunny for a change. If anything, it’s a test to see if I can upload a video longer than 7'53" (the longest I’ve managed to date). #Renault #car […]

Instagram videos of between 2′50″ and 7′03″: it can be done, but some are hidden

26.04.2018/10.38

As you saw in the previous post’s postscripts, it is possible to upload videos of longer than one minute to Instagram, but Instagram may or may not let the public see them. If you want people to see your videos for sure, then keep them to the standard minute. But if you want to chance […]

You can post two-minute videos on Instagram, but no one will ever see them

25.04.2018/23.16

Updated in a follow-up post: click here. Since Facebook bought Instagram, it’s been getting buggier, of course. I’ve complained about Instagram uploading a series of posts in a totally different order to what I had (which, on ANZAC Day, made it difficult for anyone to follow the story I was trying to tell on […]

Instagram-created art

27.02.2018/22.23

I don’t know if Instagram does this on all phones, but when I make multi-photo posts, it often leaves behind a very interesting image. Sometimes, the result is very artistic, such as this one of a Lotus–Ford Cortina Mk II. You can see the rear three-quarter shot just peer in through the centre. […]

Social media: not the evolution you might have expected

01.02.2018/21.56

I’m getting a buzz seeing how little I update social media now. Around February 2016 I began updating Tumblr far less; I’ve gone from dozens of posts per month to four in December 2017 and seven in January 2018. (Here’s my Tumblr archive.) Facebook, as many of you know, is a thing of the past […]

Zuckerberg wants to fix Facebook: too little, too late

14.01.2018/11.21

WTF: welcome to Facebook. (Creative Commons photograph.) Mark Zuckerberg’s promise to fix Facebook in 2018 is, in my opinion, too little, too late. However, since I ceased updating my Facebook profile last month, I’ve come across many people who tell me the only reason they stay on it is to keep in touch with […]

After 10 years, it’s time to reduce Facebook sharing even more

11.12.2017/10.15

Wallula, shared via Creative Commons The following status update was posted on my Facebook wall to some of my friends earlier tonight, though of course the links have been added here. I realize there’s some irony in posting this on Facebook. Some of you will have noticed that I haven’t been updating as frequently. […]